Species:

Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Change species:
Main Images:
Prev species:
Length (cm):
55-60
25-29
Wingspan (cm):
160-180
40-45
Weight (gram):
630-941
140-193
Size group:
Crow-size
Thrush-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

Medium sized, brown raptor with shallowly forked tail. Juveniles with mottled appearance, due to buffed tips of wing coverts. Easily mistaken for Red Kite, but tail is not that deeply forked, upper side of tail is dark brown and head not so pale (plumage colours overall more uniform). Base of primaries paler than the rest of the underwing (especially in Middle-East birds), but with much less contrast to the black wing tips than in Red Kite. Differs from dark morphed Booted Eagle by the forked tail. Wings held horizontally (separates it from harriers). Typically twists it's tail frequently to maintain position in the air (like Red Kite).

Sound:

A piercing, first ascending then descending long "piuuu". Starting as a clear tone then gradually taking on a vibrating character that differs from Red Kite. Also a sharp "kieee -ki- ki-ki". More vocal than Red Kite.

Call:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-sound:Patrik Åberg, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Small, dark grebe with bright yellow gape, short neck and bill. Winter plumage paler than summer, with chestnut flanks, neck and cheeks, giving much less contrast between upper- and underparts than in Slavonian Grebe. Fluffy, pale stern. No crest or tufts/tippets and no white markings on wings.

Sound:

Relatively vocal compared to many other grebes. Call; sometimes a single quite clear high pitched "dydlylyyt". More often combined into longer phrases with harsher quality, oscillating like laughter and travelling up and down in pitch in agitated motion. Reminiscent of female Cuckoo.

Display:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Similar species (image):
Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Raptors
Silhouette
Loons/grebes
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Several different sounds of the species